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Col Bob Stewart insisted Britain’s parliamentarians were among the best in the world (Picture: AFP/Getty)

A senior Conservative has claimed MPs are ‘paragons of virtue’ despite expenses scandals, sexual harassment allegations and a poll showing most people think politicians tell lies.

Col Bob Stewart admitted ‘mistakes’ were sometimes made but insisted Britain’s parliamentarians were among the best in the world.

His defence came days after fellow Tory MP Maria Miller resigned as culture secretary after being condemned for over-claiming thousands of pounds in expenses.

Complaints about a culture of ‘drinking and sexual harassment’ in Westminster were also raised amid the trial and subsequent acquittal of former deputy speaker Nigel Evans on rape and indecent assault charges.

According to a new poll, only 25 per cent of voters believe MPs tell the truth most or all of the time.

This falls to 15 per cent for government ministers.

Beckenham MP Col Stewart, a former UN commander of British forces in Bosnia, insisted other nations were more corrupt. ‘Our MPs, by comparison, are paragons of virtue,’ he said.

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Acknowledging that the damage caused by the expenses scandal was ‘continuing’, he added: ‘To be honest everyone is human, they make a mistake sometimes.’

Lib Dem energy secretary Ed Davey said public trust in politics was ‘not exactly high at the moment’ and may require a new central system for dealing with complaints.

The survey by IPPR North found only 36 per cent of people have faith in the parliamentary system, compared with 64 per cent for local authorities.

The think tank’s director Ed Cox suggested more powers be devolved to English regions, adding: ‘People feel more able to influence decision-making locally than they do at the national level.’